MDG at 10 Months

It's been another month already!  Little Mister is growing so fast and keeping everyone in the family on their toes.  He's moving all over the place and yes, already walking.  He can often be seen standing up on his own and taking several steps, which is amazing and also pretty crazy.  He's a bottomless pit in the high chair, eating just about everything he's tried and always hungry for more.  He's found his wail at last, making himself heard quite often and seeming to make up for lost time, but never without reason (Feed him!  Hold him!  Put him to bed!), and never for too long.  He has this funny nasal whimper he does that makes it kind of hard to be upset at the whining, ha ha.  He's a good sport through some recent sniffles and once we put him in his own room -- blessed day! -- started sleeping through the night again.  We're thinking he would wake up in the night and see us there and be like, what the heck, why aren't you coming to get me?? when if the same thing happens in his own room he usually just realizes no one's around and goes back to sleep.  A plan has been enacted to turn sister's room into his own space.

Such a great traveler on the airplane back from CA.

First Easter!

Look at him smiling around that binky.

Supporting Mommy at her 5K.

Post-bath surprised faces.

10 months!  Look at that smile!  Look at how the hat barely fits!

Sweet boy, keep growing but stop growing.

Thanksgiving 2017

I used to try to think of really clever titles for my blogposts but these days I'm mostly about basic description.  It makes it easier for archival/searching purposes.

Anyway, quick before it's Christmas!!!  Thanksgiving did happen and it was really nice.

We started out with our fourth annual Thanksgiving Day Murdock Trail 5K fun run/walk/stroll/bike/trot (don't dogs trot?).  The weather was positively balmy, and I think this was The Wife's first time not being pregnant and sick so she could join us, hurrah, and we expanded to include one of Matt's work friends!  And of course Heather who is practically family.  Maybe we'll make it a more open invitation next year, just in case people are interested.  There were plenty of pumpkin streusel muffins and bananas to go around.  Adelaide came in first (my time was __:__).

Can you tell who was Photoshopped in?  I actually followed through this time!

This was actually taken on MY phone by Julie as she crossed the finish line, since I dropped it when I turned around at the halfway mark...  Thanks for saving it, Heather!

A family that runs together... runs together.

Wife making one of her legendary cakes.  Sweet potato!  With marshmallow icing on top!  And pecan garnish!

Om nom nom

Boy is starting to get the idea about Thanksgiving dinner, and he and cousin Link found a great spot to enjoy their rolls. 

Parallel MDGs

Dinner was really lovely and Sleigh Ride was practiced and it was a great day and I can't believe it's already December and WHERE did 2017 go???

7 Days Challenge

Oh, I guess I could post these.  I was tagged by a friend to do this challenge and it was fun so here they are.

7 days - 7 black and white photos of your everyday life.
No people or explanations.
Invite a new person to join every day.*

Day 1
20 October 2017

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7
26 October 2017

Tas li no.

I'm trying to backdate this to keep things in order, so we'll see how it works!


*I mostly invited people I knew would be interested or wouldn't bother but probably wouldn't be annoyed by the invitation, ha.

Colors of Hope 5K

Wups, I wrote this last Friday and forgot to post it, but I collected my prize today so here it is now.

Wow, I haven't done an official race post in a long time.  I've still been running just about every day, but racing hasn't been a priority for a couple of years.  But work organized this one last week for Colors of Hope so I thought it would be fun to participate (last year's was closer to Thanksgiving and not the best day or time for me).

So it wasn't a huge race but there were 35-40 runners/walkers and I did pretty well at 23:08/8:00 miles (25:00 for the full course at 3.33 miles).  I led the pack for the first mile or so but the IT guy I was running alongside for a while pulled ahead and kept his lead until the big finish, beating me by a minute or two.  The weather was beautiful and the course was varied and interesting (though a slight head wind pushed pretty well for the last stretch).

Stuff We All Get

Next morning shot in black and white for artsy photo challenge meme purposes.

Fun race!  I scored a gift card to Smashburger, a place I have never visited, so that will be neat.  I guess I'll be hosting my Thanksgiving walk/run again this year so that will be fun too.

Four Months Later for MDG

This week we had Little Mister's four-month checkup and he's doing great.  Tall and plumping up (but still pretty lean because tall), very happy and smiley and laughy, getting cuter every day, and beloved by all.  Julie noticed this little red mark on his hand and the doctor said it could be from touching a lime, which made us both kind of laugh but which I guess causes discoloring and a slightly darker tan if exposed to the sun, so that was interesting.  Anyway, he's healthy and happy and has a good appetite and is a little more wakeful at night these days I believe but still sleeping well.  He's definitely finding his voice but most of them time he sits in a swing or a blanket or a lap and happily observes all around him.  What else is there to say except that he's extremely photogenic and we're looking forward to his first round of fall/winter holidays!

What I'd usually like to spend most of church doing.

This needs to be shared because Julie made it and it is adorable.

Even cute when blurry!

Such a squishy smooch!

Increasingly happy Saturday morning baby.

Just a sampling of the amazing family photos my sister took.

Bonus because baby in a teepee.

Baby's first choir concert!  The initial applause startled him but he was perfect after that.

Cheering Mommy on for her 5K.

4 months!  I don't think I used to post these but I like that I do now.  Also I just need to take more pictures of this kid.

Sorry I don't have as many pictures of you, son!  I promise I'll take a few more this month!  Halloween is nigh.

Giving Thanks 2016

Quick, before it's Christmas!

Thanksgiving was a great time, so here's a quick rundown for posterity.

Halloween leftover.  I guess it didn't make it through the fall OR the varmints.

We started the day out with our 2nd annual T-Gives Day Murdock Canal Trail Turkey Trot/Fun-Run/Walk/Stroll/Bike/Meander (name is a WIP)and it was a hit! It was freezing at the start but cleared and warmed up just in time for the pumpkin streusel muffins.  My time was something or other and I came in second again to Katy (who ran even farther than necessary, hard to believe anyone could misinterpret my on-the-spot hand-drawn mile markers!), with Penneh and Smoochface along for the final stretch.  Thanks to everyone for coming and joining in!  I may expand in future to friends and such if people are interested.

Runners and walkers!

Teamwork for two years running!

Then we had time to get ready for dinner which was of course amazing.

Om nom.

Then we heard there wasn't a pumpkin pie on the menu so The Wife whipped one up with stuff we just happened to have around the house, NBD.  Also a BUTTERBEER PIE.  It was as delicious as it sounds, as were the leftover filling and topping on egg nog and/or peppermint ice cream.

There were so many desserts it was amazing I tried every one some more than once.

Then it was Black Friday and it was all happeniiiing.

Apparently it's the tallest Christmas tree in Utah, thus saith the governor.

Keeping Kitty nice and safe.

Then this wasn't really Thanksgivingish but it was during the break, so there you go.  We saw Moana!  I loved it.  It was just what I was hoping for and expecting and I'm probably the only person around who's waiting for Christmas to get/listen to the soundtrack.  I look forward to seeing it again and I think the kids will love it.

And that's that for now!  I'm so thankful for so many things and I'm glad for a day set aside to remember to focus on gratitude.

Day of Giving Thanks 2015

Something I have noticed lately is that holidays and time off mean a lot more when you actually have to leave your house to go to work, and this year Thanksgiving break was just the thing.  It was so nice to (sleep in and) spend more time with my peeps and eat together and be thankful for each other.

There were various festivities this year.  First, of course we had the T-Gives treatment in Thanksgiving, which was a big hit.  I try to pick songs the kids might not know that well (or at all) totally on purpose, because there are so many songs we just don't get to ever sing.  Not on my watch!

We said if the feathers were all plucked he would get eaten.  Lucky thing, we ran out of time both times.

Next was a fun potluck lunch at work, which was a big success.  Everyone signed up for things and some went above and beyond to make the real deal (I will say that my gravy was worth the wait).  It's fun to work in an office so I can finally participate in these sorts of things that I heretofore had only heard about afterward.  We all ate too much (of course), but we were glad it was two full days before actual Thanksgiving so we wouldn't be burned out, as if.

It was amazing!  A full Thanksgiving spread.

Don't forget the pie!  I can personally attest that at least 2/3 of this was delicious.

Maybe I collected this plate of seconds just to take this picture, and then again, maybe I didn't.

Then came the actual day!  It was bright and clear and cold and very nice.  In years past my sister has organized a Turkey Trot event, but as time has gone by things have been busier or we've opted for other happenings, so when I asked and found out there wasn't anything planned this year, I decided to plan my own!  I like a T-Gives morning run, so even if it ended up being a couple of people or even just myself it would be fun.  Despite the cold, a great group of family (including out-of-towner visitors Emily and the trips!) met at the trailhead and took more or less my usual run along the trail and back.  It ended up being just about 3.5 miles, and Katy (who insists she's not much of a runner) pulled ahead in the end to beat me and Little Miss.  Some walked, some ran, some biked, some went the whole length and some turned around whenever they felt like it, and there were treats and overall I think it was really fun for all.  (Not to mention FREE.)  New tradish?!?  I'll bring the Costco pumpkin streusel muffins again...

Baby's first 5K!

Not a bad turnout!  Thanks for coming, everyone!  Same time, next year?

She's thrilled as you can see.
(And yes, I did just write that on the path with sidewalk chalk, along with the mile markers as I went along.)

Then of course dinner!  I actually took a few pictures this year, amazingly.  Everything tasted delicious and I tried to remember to take a minute to be especially grateful for my kith and kin and foodstuffs.

Interesting groupings!  The Boy loves seeing his cousins, but he especially loves Uncle Matt.

This one is so cute it deserves to be posted all on its own. 

This is just about all The Boy was interested in during Thanksgiving dinner (and of course in a different cup every time).  He will learn.  I put my foot down when it came to the Sprite Zero.

And then we had a quick photoshoot with Cami!

WHAT MY BABIES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND YOU TOO WIFE.

Then to round things out with a churchish bookend, I did a musical number of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, and decided to callback to Appleton and rock this nice touch of bling, gifted from some of my dear elder buddies as I was heading home some seven (!!!) years ago.

And that's about it.  It's a very nice season, the one in between Halloween and Christmas.

There's so much to be thankful for.